]]>By: nananatmanhttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/30/clemons-question-motivation-of-gay-player-coming-out/#comment-2437021
Sun, 31 Mar 2013 12:34:45 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1908925#comment-2437021Yeah that’s why they don’t do it.
]]>By: scare2crowhttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/30/clemons-question-motivation-of-gay-player-coming-out/#comment-2436837
Sun, 31 Mar 2013 03:30:54 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1908925#comment-2436837I find his claims of “being selfish” and “putting yourself ahead of the team” quite ironic. African Americans were heavily persecuted by Caucasions many years ago (and yes, I know it still happens some today), A man by the name of Jackie Robinson decided to inject himself into the equation of a “white man’s game”. This was viewed many ways: one – most Caucasions were racist and bigots at the time and viewed it negatively and could have also thought that Jackie was “being selfish” or “putting himself above the rest of the team” by being the first African American in MLB and essentially “rocking the boat” OR two – as courageous and brave for breaking the mold and paving the way for other African American players in the future and also helping his race move forward in gaining equality.

Now, we have a situation where another persecuted group of people is trying to “break the mold” and pave the way for others in its group. It too can be perceived in the same ways mentioned above.

A person should not be swayed from saying something about themselves or perceived as being selfish just because the media decides to make a big deal out of something. Point case: if a male player states who is new girlfriend is, the media barely notices or cares, and he is not considered to be selfish. But if a male player states who is boyfriend is, the media makes a spectacle out of it, and then the player is perceived as being selfish? So basically, one would be stating that because a male player knows that the media will make a big deal out of it, he should not do something because he knows what the media will do and that would just be selfish of him to do that. Again, I come back to Jackie Robinson who also would have known that this was going to happen with the media when he played in the MLB.

These statements by Clemons are just ignorant… and not that different than what many bigots/racists thought when Jackie Robinson decided to play in the big leagues.

]]>By: revskiphttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/30/clemons-question-motivation-of-gay-player-coming-out/#comment-2436831
Sun, 31 Mar 2013 03:19:48 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1908925#comment-2436831Chris Clemons must have forgotten that his very messy divorce was fodder for the media. Was his home life a distraction for the team?

This is the main hole in the argument that closeted players should just keep it to themselves. When a straight player gets a new girlfriend, has a messy divorce, or has a child it is definitely a news item and picked up by TMZ. It isn’t something I think is socially positive but it happens. Straight players sexuality is talked about plenty yet they aren’t scolded to keep it to themselves. For Clemons to play the selfish card for behavior that he himself has engaged in is a bit hypocritical.

]]>By: Dream_Machinehttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/30/clemons-question-motivation-of-gay-player-coming-out/#comment-2436795
Sun, 31 Mar 2013 02:41:33 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1908925#comment-2436795By the time I could sign in, you guys done said it all. Sheesh, carry on about it, but seriously being black and playing baseball from a different time and being gay and coming out about it are totally two different things, stop with that excuse and stop bagging on Clemons. You try buckling your knee at Fedex Field and try being quiet about anything.
]]>By: goldenperspectivehttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/30/clemons-question-motivation-of-gay-player-coming-out/#comment-2436780
Sun, 31 Mar 2013 02:32:37 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1908925#comment-2436780The world could not believe it when they found out Jackie Robinson was black. Lol. This is such a terrible thing to debate; nothing anyone says is going to change what others believe on this subject. It just becomes a mud throwing contest, and the nation is divided in yet another way.
]]>By: prospero63http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/30/clemons-question-motivation-of-gay-player-coming-out/#comment-2436682
Sun, 31 Mar 2013 01:23:56 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1908925#comment-2436682It’s not the player that will likely cause the distraction. It will be driven primarily by the media and their lust for creating news. The player won’t be the person sticking the microphone in someones face. That will be the press, seeking to make the next sensationalist news story. They, not the players team mates, will ultimately create the misery that follows by making something that shouldn’t be news into something that is news.
]]>By: swaggyyhttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/30/clemons-question-motivation-of-gay-player-coming-out/#comment-2436676
Sun, 31 Mar 2013 01:18:39 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1908925#comment-2436676onbucky96 says:
Mar 30, 2013 5:41 PM
When you need something stupid said…Send In A Seahawk!

29 23
Report comment

And when you need a great football team…send the Seahawks

]]>By: therealpittbullhttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/30/clemons-question-motivation-of-gay-player-coming-out/#comment-2436674
Sun, 31 Mar 2013 01:15:52 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1908925#comment-2436674It is a choice. I can choose to “gross” myself out with someone ” I don’t feel I should be with”. The bottom line, we may be able to chose, but our choices must follow in line with truth.
]]>By: swaggyyhttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/30/clemons-question-motivation-of-gay-player-coming-out/#comment-2436664
Sun, 31 Mar 2013 01:03:48 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1908925#comment-2436664On their forehead*** not preheat haha
]]>By: realskipbaylesshttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/30/clemons-question-motivation-of-gay-player-coming-out/#comment-2436642
Sun, 31 Mar 2013 00:42:46 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1908925#comment-2436642I watch the NFL cause I find the sport of football entertaining. I don’t care to know about every players home life. Keep work stuff at work and keep home stuff at home. I’m not intrested.
]]>By: daddyb1gdrawzhttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/30/clemons-question-motivation-of-gay-player-coming-out/#comment-2436636
Sun, 31 Mar 2013 00:38:51 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1908925#comment-2436636Who a player is dating will always be considered a distraction because it has no place in football. Do I have to bring up Tony Romo and Jessica Simpon? But I do see Clemon’s point. The media will make it a circus even if the player is seen with his partner and does so discretely.
]]>By: spiderpervhttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/30/clemons-question-motivation-of-gay-player-coming-out/#comment-2436633
Sun, 31 Mar 2013 00:35:56 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1908925#comment-2436633When you see the world strictly through peckerwood/non-peckerwood lenses, life gets a lot easier.
]]>By: vertskate900http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/30/clemons-question-motivation-of-gay-player-coming-out/#comment-2436629
Sun, 31 Mar 2013 00:33:16 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1908925#comment-2436629I suspect Florio is pushing this issue to finally bag himself a burly young NFL player who he can introduce his tight end to.

Tee hee.

]]>By: godofwine330http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/30/clemons-question-motivation-of-gay-player-coming-out/#comment-2436628
Sun, 31 Mar 2013 00:32:26 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1908925#comment-2436628Think Tim Tebow. Not that Tebow is gay, but what his attention whoring did to the locker room. That is just a sample of what a gay player coming out would do with the media frenzy.
]]>By: bradwinshttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/30/clemons-question-motivation-of-gay-player-coming-out/#comment-2436618
Sun, 31 Mar 2013 00:29:04 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1908925#comment-2436618jeremycrowhurst is 100% right, and everyone who “thumbs down”-ed him has some serious soul searching to do. Football players aren’t paid to be smart, so I can forgive Clemons for being ignorant and myopic. Some things are more important than football.
]]>By: themackstronghttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/30/clemons-question-motivation-of-gay-player-coming-out/#comment-2436578
Sun, 31 Mar 2013 00:01:58 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1908925#comment-2436578daubs17 says: Mar 30, 2013 7:05 PM

mackstrong youre an idiot and your comparison to gay ppl coming out to jackie robinson in MLB is utterly and completely absurd. what an insult that is i bet jackie robinson is sitting at home shaking his head to this garbage

——————————

Jackie Robinson passed away in 1972 so don’t be trying to call anyone an idiot because clearly he isn’t sitting around somewhere. You think I am insensitive to a cause yet I am of the same race you claim I insulted. Read stories on hate crimes and you will have a hint of what gay or lesbian people go through. I work in a field where I hear youth’s struggles and the shame of having to hide a who they are in school and sports. Remember this – when you think “gay or lesbian” is a choice, that’s the bigot inside of you talking.

]]>By: therealpittbullhttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/30/clemons-question-motivation-of-gay-player-coming-out/#comment-2436577
Sun, 31 Mar 2013 00:01:22 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1908925#comment-2436577Clemons is using the “politically correct” way of stating, that the locker room is not ready. Not that there isn’t one in the locker room currently, but most would rather not know who’s getting the free peep show. Not only will the attention go away from the team outside the locker rooms, but there will be a MAJOR distraction. Some may ask for separate showers. Don’t women and men have separate restrooms? Hmm, whats the reason for such things? Whatever, let’s all just go together, like pigs in slop.
]]>By: commonsensedudehttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/30/clemons-question-motivation-of-gay-player-coming-out/#comment-2436560
Sat, 30 Mar 2013 23:50:07 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1908925#comment-2436560Folks,

Jackie Robinson never had to announce to the world that he was a black man. He never had the option to keep that part of his identity a personal matter. And, FYI, these types of comparisons do nothing to convince people to adopt your point of view – it just needlessly pushes people further from your side. I wish the worst thing my ancestors had to go through was the fear of being teased or misunderstood. If you don’t understand the full context of history, you probably should not cite it.

]]>By: purplepunisherhttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/30/clemons-question-motivation-of-gay-player-coming-out/#comment-2436540
Sat, 30 Mar 2013 23:40:46 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1908925#comment-2436540It’s highly unlikely that there even is a gay player in the NFL. 1.7 percent of adults in America identify as gay or lesbian. If you say half of the 1.7 percent are males then that’s .075 percent of American men are gay. The chance that one of those .075 American men being one of the 1976 NFL players is EXTREMELY remote.

“Gates’ best estimate, derived from five studies that have asked subjects about their sexual orientation, is that the nation has about 4 million adults who identify as being gay or lesbian, representing 1.7 percent of the 18-and-over population.”

]]>By: psj3809http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/30/clemons-question-motivation-of-gay-player-coming-out/#comment-2436520
Sat, 30 Mar 2013 23:32:08 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1908925#comment-2436520Difficult one. Can see both aides of the argument

I don’t care if a player is straight, gay or married. Same for being religious. (But I hate it in interviews when for the whole interview they’re thanking god for that tackle in the 4Q!)

If a player comes out then respect to him, but imagine the uproar when a team might cut the first openly gay player?

Even if he for example drops 3 passes in preseason or misses a tackle the second ‘player x’ who came out gets cut then I can imagine the total crap that team will get for cutting him

]]>By: swaggyyhttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/30/clemons-question-motivation-of-gay-player-coming-out/#comment-2436513
Sat, 30 Mar 2013 23:26:58 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1908925#comment-2436513Remember that Clemons posted this from his own twitter account and the media took it from there. It’s not like he went too out of his way to say it. Took him about 10 seconds from his phone. Whoopty doo
]]>By: contracthttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/30/clemons-question-motivation-of-gay-player-coming-out/#comment-2436499
Sat, 30 Mar 2013 23:22:59 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1908925#comment-2436499It sounds to me like Chris Clemons is just trying to draw attention to himself.
]]>By: jprcoxhttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/30/clemons-question-motivation-of-gay-player-coming-out/#comment-2436497
Sat, 30 Mar 2013 23:22:46 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1908925#comment-2436497So what happens if that player isn’t very good and ends up being cut following preseason? Is he going to assume that it was due to his announcing his sexuality?

I don’t think Clemons said it well, but the point is that it will be a distraction for that team/player. If every gay NFL player came out, that might be a different story.

]]>By: daubs17http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/30/clemons-question-motivation-of-gay-player-coming-out/#comment-2436469
Sat, 30 Mar 2013 23:05:04 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1908925#comment-2436469mackstrong youre an idiot and your comparison to gay ppl coming out to jackie robinson in MLB is utterly and completely absurd. what an insult that is i bet jackie robinson is sitting at home shaking his head to this garbage
]]>By: mz1394http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/30/clemons-question-motivation-of-gay-player-coming-out/#comment-2436466
Sat, 30 Mar 2013 23:02:23 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1908925#comment-2436466Wait people didnt know Jackie Robinson was an African-American?! Was there a blindness epidemic at the time or something
]]>By: daubs17http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/30/clemons-question-motivation-of-gay-player-coming-out/#comment-2436464
Sat, 30 Mar 2013 23:01:58 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1908925#comment-2436464omg mike please stop writing about this crap its seriously absurd stick to football good god. why are constantly pushing this agenda on everyone keep this nonsense out of this place
]]>By: northstarnichttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/30/clemons-question-motivation-of-gay-player-coming-out/#comment-2436453
Sat, 30 Mar 2013 22:57:01 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1908925#comment-2436453“Football players want to play football, and they generally don’t want to create a distraction for themselves or others on the team.”

Seriously?! Have you followed the NFL over the past 20 years or did you just step out of the time machine that delivered you from one of Red Grange’s greatest game days?

]]>By: billsfan1http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/30/clemons-question-motivation-of-gay-player-coming-out/#comment-2436447
Sat, 30 Mar 2013 22:53:08 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=1908925#comment-2436447It’s easy to tell which of you clowns are a Jim Rome clone.. You say you don’t care if people are gay and they should keep it to themselves be a because its not relevant.. If its not relevant, why do you care if they acknowledge it? Ignorance is bliss and it sure is blissful here..
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